MexConnect.com Forums: General: Living, Working, Retiring: Caveats to Potential Retirees in Mexico: Page 3

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mariejosee

Oct 17, 2006, 1:24 PM

Post #51 of 60 (1421 views)

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Re: [Gringal] Caveats to Potential Retirees in Mexico

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Quote

As most people are aware of, the U.S. is suffering from a staggering increase in diseases directly related to unhealthy personal choices. Too many expect modern medicine to replace a lifetime of abusing their bodies.

I applaud this remark. I don't know much about the health care system in general except that here in Mexico it is so cheap that I don't worry about insurance. Of course I'm healthy and that isn't a concern for me. But when we got shot in Guatemala we were taken to a private hospital in Guatemala city where all the doctors were trained in Europe, we got incredible service and personal attention, the best we ever had. We spent 2 weeks in that hospital with private bathrooms and good medical attention daily and it cost me like 800 dollars US including several calls to Canada. Here in Mexico, the few times I have needed attention I have always found a doctor to help me quickly for $5 dollars US, of course I don't have an impossible disease and I'm not retired but I can see that they have all levels of services (IMSS to private)and you could be treated extremely well for way cheaper than in the US.

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As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.
"Henry David Thoreau"

Don

Oct 17, 2006, 3:42 PM

Post #52 of 60 (1401 views)

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Re: [wendy devlin] Caveats to Potential Retirees in Mexico

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Thanks very much. Looking forward to going home. Would have been there months ago if they had not found the beginning cancer. They would have left it alone, but I am on immune suppression drugs. I have to add that my experience was very positive. Excellent doctors, hospitals and other care. I can add that no pain medication was needed after the surgery or outpatient procedures..
The only negative experience was 30 days of HOSPITAL FOOD.

(This post was edited by Don on Oct 17, 2006, 3:43 PM)

Gwynne

Oct 17, 2006, 3:48 PM

Post #53 of 60 (1398 views)

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Re: [Don] Caveats to Potential Retirees in Mexico

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I too am delighted to hear Don's success story! I've missed your postings.

I have 4 years to go before Medicare. My COBRA ran out last month. Am I nervous? YOU BET! After months of research (and listening to Bubba) I've contacted ING and next month I'll have Mexican health insurance for a small fraction of the $1100.00 a month it would cost NOB.

My husband has Medicare and VA. His long time physician sent him a letter saying he was no longer welcome unless he had "real" insurance. When he was involved in a car wreck, the ambulance took him to the nearest hospital. When I got there, I was informed that they would only stabilize him since they took neither Medicare or VA. (Fortunately, we also had State Farm for that one.) The "good" doctors in Dallas won't give you an appointment if you day the word "Medicare". The Medicare doctors are usually from someplace in Africa and speak a dialect even the nurses don't understand.

Is this a good part of the reason we're moving to Mexico? Absolutely! I can't wait to go to a doctor who will actually act interested in my condition.

Georgia's advice to get all medical records ahead of time is right on! I have copies of our dental records and copies of my latest hip Xrays. I even have the dogs health records!

Gwynne

Camille

Oct 17, 2006, 11:23 PM

Post #54 of 60 (1347 views)

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Re: [Judy in Ags] Caveats to Potential Retirees in Mexico

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By far the most productive rainy season I've seen in Nayarit in five years....and the same system that washed out my road here on Sunday moved up to Texas to delay my flight back yesterday more than 12 hours! Chickens, feathers, still can't complain, I'm in Paradise!

nfabq

Oct 18, 2006, 12:15 AM

Post #55 of 60 (1346 views)

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Re: [Gwynne] Caveats to Potential Retirees in Mexico

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Is there a VA hosp where you are? I've gotten excellent care at the VA for some serious conditions. Also, after getting stable at the first hosp.,your husband can be transported by ambulance to the VA hosp where he can get whatever other treatment he needs and it's possible they may pay for the first hosp and ambulance,too.

Norm

Georgia

Oct 18, 2006, 7:20 AM

Post #56 of 60 (1308 views)

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Re: [wendy devlin] Caveats to Potential Retirees in Mexico

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This question you pose is important. In addition to all the very accurate replies, I would add this thought: the insurance available in Mexico is what we used to call, prior to the 1970's "hospitalization insurance." This insurance did not pay for regular office visits or prescriptions. Doctor's office visits costs were in line with what we presently pay in Mexico. The price of prescription drugs was usually manageable, except in extreme cases.

Fast forward thirty or so years: now medical insurance covers doctors' office visits, prescription drugs, sometimes dental and vision care. So ... when I used to go to the doctor, there might have been a receptionist, but most often, not. There was a doctor and a nurse. Period. No accounting staff. Today when you go to a doctor's office, you see a lot of personnel that the doctor has to pay. The office is huge. The time spent with each patient is minimal. Why? Well, since insurers pay for doctors' visits, a staff is needed at the doctors' offices to manage those reimbursements. Different forms and different reimbursement for different insurers. What a headache! And, it's costly. So the insurance that was supposed to reduce our medical costs, actually increased them.

A smart doctor today would subscribe to the KISS theory. (Keep it simple, stupid.) It would be interesting to see how a doctor who did not accept any insurance, but kept his office visit expenses at the customary co-pay level (which is higher than an office visit used to cost), would fare. The added advantage of such a system is PRIVACY. Think about it.

arbon

Oct 18, 2006, 10:09 AM

Post #57 of 60 (1265 views)

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Re: [Georgia] Caveats to Potential Retirees in Mexico

I would add that nurses in hospitals spend more time doing paper work than nursing, and police spend more time doing paper work than policing.

The data on health and crime have to be collected some where, or we would not be able to have statistics to manipulate . Eh
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jennifer rose

Oct 18, 2006, 11:29 AM

Post #58 of 60 (1253 views)

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Re: [arbon] Caveats to Potential Retirees in Mexico

Get back to discussing Mexico, please.

MariaLund

Oct 18, 2006, 11:38 AM

Post #59 of 60 (1250 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] Caveats to Potential Retirees in Mexico

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I think people on this forum have finally told me enough not to attemp a PERMANENT move to Mexico, despite the romaticism of the idea and despite the fact that I learned some Spanish first ( and can actually communicate in it, although still at a basic level). There are - for me - so many disadvantages with a permanent move ( unjust laws, "wanting" law enforcement, corruption, bureaucracy, inneficiency, machismo, culture that suppresses - and opresses - women etc etc etc ... noise, dirt and lack of an equivalent of Barnes and Noble, not being the least insignificant for my personal enjoyment. And retirement is a time (sometimes THE time) one should enjoy himself/herself. Yes, there are advantages to living in Mexico, I agree, but I have personally finally decided that I can enjoy them going to Mexico,other Latin American ( and why not South-East Asian? ) countries for two/three months a year, practicing my Spanish, enjoying an andventure (a different one each year), ruins of ancient civilizations, swaying palms, exotic cuisine etc etc while buing NOB a small cabin ( I am single, love simplicity, despise MacMansions and would rather use my excess funds - if any - on travel and adventure than on a pretentious housing option) in the woods, on a swimmable (not polluted) lake, reasonably close to a big city with all its cultural and commercial offerings ( and where my daughter works and lives so I can stay there a couple of days at a time when I get bored with country living). Yes, I will probably pay ( a lot?) more for that retirement choice, but it will save me a lot of headache: I won't have to travel with cats, won't have to deal with too much bureaucracy, innefficiency, corruption, machismo and lack of bookstore cafes - which could - especially with progess of time and aging - wear me off. As a single woman, without a benefit of sharing the inconveniences of life with a partner/ companion, it would probably wear me off sooner - as it did the woman Sparks was mentioning - that it wears off couples. So, thanks Mexconnectors... and I still might see some of you in Mexico some time.

As for US health insurance shortcomings: I am a diabetic ( still, luckily a very healthy one) and after retiring early I kept my COBRA ($305 for one person, but with a $2000 deductible if I went outside the PPO network) for allowable 18 months and opted out from HIPAA conversion because of ridiculous costs, but I am fully insured in Europe, so I took a risk of being able to jump a plane in need until I qualify for Medicare. I also lived close to Mexico for over a year and was visiting doctors, dentists and buying my diabetes medication in Progresso - a 2-3 hours drive away from where I lived. Now I have friends, who could continue to buy my maintenance drugs there for me, if I haven't discovered Costco, which prices on name brand drugs without generic equivalents are - in my case - only about 15% higher than in Mexico ( one of the "benefits" of NAFTA, lol, a benefit to a big pharma and nobody else). If I lived in Spain, for example, all my health care costs and all my medications would be free - yes we do pay for choices made for greater enjoyment vs greater savings.
Vivere non est necesse, navigare necesse est!

(This post was edited by MariaLund on Oct 18, 2006, 12:15 PM)

nfabq

Oct 18, 2006, 6:04 PM

Post #60 of 60 (1198 views)

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Re: [Georgia] Caveats to Potential Retirees in Mexico

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What a great argument for a universal-single payer-(the government) health care system.Doesn't cost any more(probably less) and everyone is covered!

Norm

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